At The Beginning
by Yumeria Sendai
Summary: SASUSAKU ONE-SHOT DEDICATED TO SAKURA UCHIHA-HIME! HERE'S YOUR FIC ONEE-CHAN! IT'S A SONG-FIC TO 'AT THE BEGINNING', THE SONG AT THE END OF THE ANIMATED MOVIE ANASTASIA!


At The Beginning

Sakura smiled at the approaching figure of her lover, white bandages covering his right eye, the bridge of his nose, his left cheek, his jaw, and his neck, continuing under his clothes and down until the middle of his fingers. A soft smile was on his face as he reached her, holding out a bandaged arm as his onyx eyes softened.

Her own emerald eyes melting, she placed her hand in his, squeezing slightly as they turned and walked down the hospital hallway, passing a few surprised nurses.

_We were strangers,_

_starting out on a journey_

_Never dreaming _

_what we'd have to go through_

"Sakura..." He breathed as soon as they left the sterile environment, the sun shining on him and making his bandages bright. He pulled her close, pausing for a moment to close his eyes and savor the feel of her in his arms finally, after more than two months being separated from her and her smiles.

_Now here we are_

_i'm suddenly standing_

_at the beginning with you_

Pulling away, the two continued to walk toward their ritual spot- the bridge they had first met at as a team. As they arrived, the petals of nearby sakura floated into the calm waters, gentle ripples forming from the slight pressure on the clear surface. The male felt his smile waver as memories flashed through his mind, most of them not good at all.

_No one told me_

_I was going to find you_

He observed the precious person next to him as she gazed at the beautiful waters, the petals still falling and being carried away by the gentle current. Her rosette hair waved a bit in a small breeze, and he caught a glimpse of her expression: a happy smile complimented with her glowing emerald eyes.

His heart warmed at the sight as he felt a smile creep onto his own face.

_unexpected _

_what you did to my heart_

Of course, he felt a bit of guilt and remorse, as it had taken him years to realize that he had feelings for the beautiful kunoichi next to him. He had been recovering in the presence of Madara Uchiha in another's body, and had been told things he hadn't wanted to believe at the time.

He had been on the brink of death.

_when i lost hope_

_you were there to remind me_

He smirked as he remembered when she had finally caught up with him.

She had burst into the cave, her cloak falling open in the dust as she glared at the masked figure at the other end. He had watched her with an unattached coldness, not feeling anything as he became numb with realization.

He had killed his brother for trying to save the world.

His clan had been corrupt.

His brother wanted the best for him.

**His brother had been looking out for him.**

He had killed him without knowing.

Anger coursed through his veins at the time, but had disappeared slowly as he watched the kunoichi fight the childlike Akatsuki member.

_" Hyah! Come back here!" She had yelled furiously as he dodged her chakra-laced punches and kicks, disappearing and reappearing in a second on the other side of the rock cave._

_" B-but Tobi is a good boy!" He had whined, hands up defensively as he dodged a chakra scalpel, disappearing in a cloud of smoke and running through the trees away from the duo as more shinobi from konoha appeared._

_"COWARD!!" She had shouted after him while walking to Sasuke, the ominous color of her chakra lightening as she called upon her knowledge of medical jutsu to speed up his healing._

_Watching her face screw in concentration, Sasuke felt his heart melt a little, the ice barrier that had formed years ago slowly disappearing._

_'Sakura...' _

_Then, with that last, forlorn thought, he had been swallowed by darkness, his last sight being her glazed, worried eyes filled with concentration as her glowing hands continued to move over his wounds._

Now, he felt the need to atone for his past, knowing that he had hurt both her and his teammates deeply.

_This is the start_

_and life is a road that i want to keep going_

_love is a river i wanna keep flowing_

_life is a road_

_now and forever_

_a wonderful journey_

Giving her hand a squeeze and ignoring her look of cute confusion, he spoke up.

" Sakura...i'm sorry." His voice nearly cracked, and he let his one visible eye close. When a gentle, slightly calloused hand, touched his cheek, he looked up into smiling viridian eyes.

"Sasuke...I understand why you did what you did, and you are forgiven." She whispered to him tenderly.

" Aishiteru, Sasuke-kun."

_I'll be there when the world stops turning_

_I'll be there when the storm is through_

_In the end i wanna be standing at the beginning with you_

He felt a tear slip out of his eye, and pulled her into him, hugging her tightly and wincing at the pain shooting from his newest wounds.

With a few handsigns, Sakura shook her head playfully, pulling away and setting it to his chest. The pain lessened immediately, but he didn't care, and just pulled her closer, his lips pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She blushed, but only returned his affectionate gesture with her own, cupping his right cheek in one hand and kissing the other, bandaged one softly.

_We were strangers_

_on a crazy adventure_

Sakura smiled against his cheek as his hand came up and held hers against his face, his eye closing at the comfort he felt in her presence. A stray petal landed on her hair as he opened his eye with a small smile.

With a chuckle at her expression, he plucked the small object from her hair, blowing it gently into the wind and letting it get carried away by the gentle breeze.

_Never dreaming _

_how our dreams would come true_

" Sakura, I've missed you."

His words brought a happy smile to her face as tears filled her eyes. She rubbed her face into his chest and breathed in deeply, loving the smell of sandalwood, rain and smoke that seemed to always cling to him, even when blood covered.

"I've missed you too, Sasuke-kun." She whispered into his blue shirt.

_Now here we stand_

_unafraid of the future_

_At the beginning with you..._

Pulling her chin up gently with his pointer, he gently kissed her, pouring his love for her into it, as well as everything he had bottled up since he had been put under hospital arrest three months prior-no visitors, no time outside as Tsunade worked to get the curse seal off of him.

She had succeeded the week before, but he had been knocked out until the day before, which he had spent getting his muscles working properly and catching up on things he thought mattered.

_and life is a road and i wanna keep going_

_love is a river i wanna keep flowing _

_life is a road, now and forever_

_a wonderful journey._

Fingering an object hidden inside his pocket, Sasuke nearly gulped.

Should he ask her?

He had asked Naruto, who had replied with a look that said 'DUH, YOU DUMBASS!' after retrieving the item for him.

He knew the jinchuuriki had feelings for Sakura, but knew that she thought of him like a brother, and didn't want to wreck their relationship.

He decided to do it now.

" Sakura...I have something to ask you."

_I'll be there when the world stops turning_

_I'll be there when the storm is through_

He gently pushed her away and kneeled before her, pulling out the object as he did so. She gasped in shock, and he grew nervous.

"Sasuke-kun?"

_In the end i wanna be standing at the beginning with you_

"Will...you...marry me, Sakura?" He asked, observing her as she broke down in tears suddenly, launching herself at him with a joyfull cry of 'yes'. He smiled, relieved as he pulled her into a passionate kiss, ignoring the pain he felt as he bent his head farther down.

_I knew there was somebody somewhere_

_I could love in the dark_

_Now i know my dreams will live on_

_i've been waiting so long_

_**Nothin's gonna tear us apart**_

Responding to his kiss, Sakura let her tears roll down her face as memories flew through her head.

Becoming part of team seven.

The chuunin exams.

Nearly losing him in the forest of death.

Him leaving the village for Orochimaru.

Naruto nearly dieing because of him.

Kakashi leaving to return to ANBU.

Becoming Tsunade's aprentice

Sai becoming apart of team seven as his replacement.

Sai's death at Orochimaru's hands.

Fighting the Akatsuki.

Seeing Sasuke and bringing him home.

Healing him.

Crying for him and on him.

Hearing him confess his feelings the day he woke up.

Happiness.

Breaking apart for air, she rested her head under his chin.

Time seemed to stop, and she looked up at him with a loving smile.

" Sasuke-kun..."

With that, she pulled his head down, much to his surprise, and kissed him with everything she had.

Now he didn't even feel his wounds, to high off of Sakura to care or even notice the pain as he growled softly into her lips, kissing her back and using one hand to pull her closer by the waist, the other one going to the back of her head and in her hair to deepen the kiss by turning her head.

As heat spread through his body, Sasuke couldn't help but smirk into the kiss and think:

' I can't wait until we're married.'


End file.
